Behind Bookshelves and Brown Eyes
by Morning Chrysanthemum
Summary: Kiku is the shy guy who watches from a background. When it comes to Arthur, it's from behind a bookshelf. But when a chance to actually meet and get to know the Briton comes to light, he's definitely not going to refuse it. AU.
1. Chapter 1

You'd hardly expect for a library to house anything exciting except if you were a so-called "nerd."

While Kiku Honda _was _what someone would call a nerd, even he didn't have much enthusiasm from the library, until the day he made a very interesting discovery. Very interesting indeed.

It was an unusually sunny day in February. The fourth to be exact. Precisely seven days before the day he turned fourteen. He'd never forget such a day, and that was not only due to how close he was to aging.

Despite having a fondness for sunny days, his not-so-good was shown in the way he trudged up the library's entrance and unceremoniously dumped his books into the contraption that vaguely reminded him of a metal mouth. What a great way to improve his mood; the notion of his hand being devoured. Joy.

It was hard to pinpoint the source of his gloom, but he guessed it was the fact that had no energy for the task that lay ahead. Tutoring two over-exuberant people was definitely not on his "Top Ten Things to Accomplish in Life" list.

Not that Alfred and Feliciano were _horrible _to him or anything; it was just that he couldn't keep up with their enthusiasm or figure out where their minds were. La-La Land, perhaps?

Then again, he could also have been disappointed at the fact that this tutoring business was taking up a good amount of his time. _And to think I was looking forward to finishing that Shizaya doujinshi._

Sighing, the Japanese boy entered the library with his heavy book bag weighing him down even more. Literally, since it was heavy to give him the impression of staggering even if he was stronger than what his slim figure would try to convince people, and figuratively because he was so...not into anything.

He headed over to the teen section, in no hopes of finding his "pupils." At least, if they weren't there, he could try to cheer himself up with some manga. A small feeling of anticipation and excitement flooded him.

But then a sudden though popped up in his mind. Perhaps, before he went to the manga section, he could busy himself with some other teen fiction? After all, he just had to walk over to the other side for those comics. He was already looking forward to finding any good Anthony Horowitz stories. Or maybe Darren Shan. James Patterson? Rick Riordan? Suzanne Collins? Or perhaps he could look for that other book by Dan Brown: _Angels and Demons._ The possibilities were endless. Glancing upward, he wrinkled his nose a bit at the four-hundred paged book of trash. _Twilight. _And its sequels, _New Moon _and_ Eclipse._ He shook his head, almost smiling. Definitely not going to consider that a choice.

When he shifted his gaze back down, his breath suddenly hitched. Before, he had always been unnerved by the random empty spaces between the books (perfectionist as he was), but he now extremely grateful. Right across from him were the brightest, greenest eyes he had even seen. Unable to speak for a moment, he merely watched, transfixed by the shine and utterly beautiful shade. Such a green color was rare.

The eyes seemed to be staring at him for a moment before they headed downwards. The action got Kiku back to his senses and glance down as well, only more consciously. _W-why is that person examining me as such? _He was about to ask the person what exactly was making him so forward and shameless, before he realized that the green eyes were actually checking out books. Not him. Of course. It's not like he should feel disappointed at that, right?

He seriously felt like slapping himself, his previous gloom disappearing. A strange giddiness replaced it, heat rushing to his cheeks.

The green eyes narrowed and retreated a bit, and Kiku felt a little disappointed again. That is, until he caught sight of the person's face. The first thing that really stood out (besides the eyes of course) was the eyebrows. Dark and thick, they were furrowed downwards, giving the blonde—as Kiku could see he was—a brooding expression.

_Such shining features...well, besides the eyebrows. _

He noticed how the blonde reached out and, his green orbs darting from one side to another like tennis balls for anyone ready to lash out a jeer, grabbed a book. He couldn't see it too clearly, but he did make out the word "shoujo" on the back cover.

A smile graced Kiku's lips, for he saw nothing wrong with a man who appreciated romance. Especially since he was one himself. And the way the other boy wanted to keep it secret was just so endearing. _A tsundere, I presume._ The person turned the book over to read the synopsis, his cheeks red as well, and Kiku was faced with Kyo Sohma, the orange-haired man looking much like a delinquent with his grumpy expression and ruffled school uniform. Tsunderes flock to tsunderes, of course.

The Japanese boy suddenly felt the urge to go over to the other side and engage this person in conversation. Perhaps he could begin by noting their mutual love for _Fruits Basket _(since he had read all twenty-three volumes himself), and have a lovely discussion after wards and maybe fall in love—wait, what?

He shook his head frantically, his cheeks burning up even more. What was he thinking, he had read too much Boys' Love and shoujo manga. This was the real world. It was stupid enough for him to become so entranced by mere eyes.

_Well, they are the window to the soul_, his more emotional side countered. _And _those_ eyes are simply lovely._

His rational side ruffled imaginary feathers. _And yet we have no inkling of his soul! No matter how lovely a person's eyes are, what if the person himself is bad? We don't even know who this guy is! _

Oh. Right.

_Then go introduce yourself to him! _The dramatic side wailed. _Who knows, he could be your red string partner!_

The mental arguments swirled inside his head and made him dizzy. He could only stand there. But his eyes managed to see two other figures making their way to the person.

"Yo, Artie, what's up?"

Hardly anyone could mistake this booming voice. Surrounding people hissed, "Shhhhh!" Kiku hardly noticed, his brain immediately filing a new piece of information. Was Artie really this person's name? It sounded much too childish. Then again, Alfred _was _known for constantly nicknaming people. It took a while for Kiku to get used to "Keeks."

"It's _Arthur, _fat-ass."

Aha. So he was right in his assumption. Kiku blushed at the idea of him calling the boy "Artie." And just from three words alone, he could tell that Arthur was British. That accent really was as distinguishable as it was attractive. _S-sugoi..._

"Artie, Arthur. Potato, po-tah-to." Kiku had the vision of Alfred waving a large hand in the air as if to swat flies from his food. And speaking of food...

"Pastaaaa~!"

He was actually wondering why the cry had not come sooner. Better late than never, at least.

"So, whatcha doing?" Alfred continued. "Readin' some boring, mushy love story again?"

The boy named Arthur bristled, hurriedly stuffing the shoujo manga under a _Naruto_ volume. "O-of course not! And even if I was, I don't have bad enough taste to read _anything_ with those adjectives!"

Cerulean eyes rotated to show disbelief and audacity. "Rrrrrright. And I'm a flying pig."

"Oh why, I oughta-"  
>"Ne, ne! Do you know where Kiku is, Alfred?" Feliciano piped up.<p>

Said Japanese boy shifted uncomfortably, caught in a dilemma. What should he do? Emerge from behind the bookshelf right now and reveal himself as a stalker (but hopefully introduce himself to Arthur in case the Briton hadn't noticed), or stay and pretend he heard and saw nothing?

Alfred's voice rang through again. "Huh? Not that I think 'bout it, I haven't. Weird. He's usually here earlier than us, too."

Oh crap! How could he have forgotten his appointment with them! Kiku tried to clear his head once more, as Arthur cut in.

"That tutor of yours?" A sudden beeping from his left pocket caught his attention, but he went on. "Ah, I have to go pick Peter up from Raivis's house now. A shame, too. I was hoping to meet this tutor. From what you've told me, he seems rather intelligent, and anyone who can take up the task of tutoring you dolts is commendable in the least."

Unbeknownst to Arthur, the person he was praising was directly facing him from the other side of the shelf and flushing a deeper red at each word, to the point that his ears were also coloring. Kiku really was not regretting agreeing to this arrangement at the moment, unlike before. _D-does he really think that?_ The Japanese boy felt confidence well up within, urging him to venture over to the other side and introduce himself. But it was too late, for he saw Arthur walk away. His disappointment was overwhelmed by his...joy, Arthur's comments still flattering him.

_Ah! I still have to meet Alfred-kun and Feliciano-kun! _The reminder hit him like a brick, preferably not knocking him out, and the weight of his backpack registered. It really _was _like carrying bricks. Taking a deep breath and forcing a look of complete composure on his face, Kiku ambled to the other side, tapping Alfred on the shoulder.

"_Ano_...Alfred-kun? Feliciano-kun? I apologize for my lack of punctuality."  
>Alfred grinned. "It's all good, Keeks! It kinda sucks though, since my bro Arthur just left. And I wanted to introduce you guys so much! You have so much in common with him, you wouldn't even believe."<p>

Feliciano nearly tackled Kiku in the attempt of giving him a hug, before turning to his atmosphere-immune partner. "Alfred, is he actually your brother?"

"Hm? Oh yeah! It might not seem like it at first since he acts so British, but I guess it all just happened when he spent so much time in England with our mom. Same thing with Peter. And then they all moved here so they could be with me and my dad!"

Kiku was tempted to ask more questions, and from the locks of it, Feliciano was too, but the Japanese boy was reluctant to draw attention to himself, even if Alfred wasn't exactly sharp. But still, if he ever found out what Kiku thought of Arthur at the moment, he'd definitely tease him into next month.

And Kiku could not just let that happen.

"Let us get started, you two..." he said, pulling them toward a table. "It's time I put my academic skills to work once more."

…..

"Y'know, Keeks, you seem to be in a hell of a better mood!"

Kiku looked up from where he began packing all his books. "Really?"

Alfred of all people was to notice that?

"Yeah, yeah! Is it 'cause your birthday's in a week? Oh, I know! I'll get Arthur to come next Saturday, so you guys can meet and we can all party!" He fist-pumped for good measure.

Kiku felt his cheeks heat up again. How a mention of that name could bring him in such a state, he would never know. But he silently gathered all his things together and left the library with a sense of quiet elation and one thought in his mind:

_I do look forward to seeing you once more._

…

_**This was meant to be a one-shot, but then it turned to this. Stupid short attention span.**_

_**Those of you reading OAA, I understand you wanting to kill me. Sorry. So many plotbunnies have hit me at inappropriate times. Happy late birthday, Kiku! And Happy early Valentine's to all!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**I did not expect this to get this popular. N-not that I'm not happy about it...**

**I'm sorry for not replying to all your sweet reviews, but that's because I doubt I could say much but "Thank You" because my happiness at all this cannot be expressed. I do hope I don't disappoint you guys with this chapter.**

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><p>Kiku walked past the entrance with a spring in his step. It was slight enough to be nearly inconspicuous, but if one paid attention, he or she would notice the Japanese boy walking a bit more freely than usual, his shoulders relaxed even with his heavy load of books, and the almost-skipping impression he gave.<p>

Still, there was a slight frown on his face when he looked up and noticed the clouds attempting to shield the sun. _From unworthy eyes? How endearing._ His lips twitched upward a fraction of an inch..

Okay, he may have been just a smidge cheesy then. Kiku blamed it on the butterflies in his stomach. They were doing strange things to his head and giving him the uncanny urge to _giggle_. He was a man, for Kami's sake. Men do no giggle.

...Besides Orihara Izaya. But he digressed.

"_~Maji! Hyaku-man doru! Maji!~*"_ The sudden blast of music jolted Kiku from his thoughts. He reached into his pants pocket and withdrew his cellphone. Li Xiao Chun, a brother to him, was calling. "_Moshimoshi?" _he answered.

"_Jeung-hing,_" was the monotonous answer. "Yao wants you to do the grocery shopping since you're outside."

Kiku repressed a sigh. He should have expected as much when Yao let him go to this meeting so easily. It was like the time Alfred had suspiciously invited him to that Christmas party.

"_Hai, hai._ What do we need?"

"...wait, you don't need to take the phone from me-okay, never mind-"

"Aiyah! Kiku, we have company for _tomorrow!_ So much to do, aru! But you don't have to get too much: just jasmine rice and seasoning and chow mein. You're still going to have to help me with the cooking and cleaning when you get back, aru. No excuses!"

Well, there was no hope of getting back to that doujinshi for a while. What a shame.

As if reading his thoughts, Xiao Chun was back on the line, saying, "You're not the best influence, I have to say. Looking through your stuff, I wouldn't be surprised if I started obsessing over BL couples as well. The blonde bartender with the dark-haired informant? Is that a substitution for you and someone else?"

Arthur popping up in his mind had _absolutely nothing_ to do with that statement. Really. It didn't matter how handsome he'd look in Shizuo's outfit...or even Sebastian's...

"Not at all."

"Of course. I'm sure you of all people would not be the one getting sniffed in an alleyway and then jumped."

"Y-you read _that _one? Don't spoil it!" There was just something about Shizaya that drove him crazy, not that he'd ever admit it. Out loud at least. He'd be damned if anyone ruined it for him.

"Wasn't it obvious from the start that they would do it?" How his brother's voice remained toneless, Kiku would never know. But he supposed it was similar to Kasuka's way of doing things.

"Yes..." he sighed, sounding defeated. "Just don't say anything else about it. Or mention any kind of _shounen-ai _to Yao-nii."

"Whatever you say. But remember that if you happen to bring a blond man to our home, I'll be the first you'll hear it from."

"And I'll be sure to make a note of that. See you." He hung up.

A blond man, hm? Arthur was in his thoughts again, and Kiku found that as of right now, he really didn't mind that. Another small smile appeared on his face, cheeks heating up once more, and he couldn't help but look up at the sky again. The clouds had moved away from the sun, still close by like a bodyguard. Kiku's smile widened a bit.

It looked as though it would be a bright day after all.

…

Fortunately for him, the store he had to go to wasn't far. Just a few blocks away from the library, which in turn was two blocks from his house.

Approaching the front, he realized he had a dilemma. He couldn't go in with his backpack; they'd think he would shoplift. But he couldn't leave it outside either, or someone could steal it. He couldn't afford to replace school textbooks. A frown marred his face. What to do?

"Kiku!" He looked up at the call, tensing at the sight of the person. Why him?

"Bonnefois-san..." The blonde, donning a frilly shirt and khaki pants under a navy blue apron, grinned in a way that could be taken as perverse.

"So formal, _mon petit ami. _But no one can deny how adorable that is~"

Kiku backed away, slightly unnerved. "A-ano...I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"But of course! Though I do ask for a small price in return..." The grin was close to the Cheshire Cat level. Almost time for evolution. Kiku steeled himself in spite of this.

"Can you watch over my backpack here while I go inside? Please? It won't take too long, I assure you."

"Hm, why not?" He feigned a thoughtful expression, stroking the stubble on his face. "All I want is for you to send me another picture of you in that maid outfit for my scrapbook, if you don't mind-"

"Ah, okay! _Arigato gozaimasu!_" Kiku burbled, quickly shrugging off his backpack and dashing inside the store. Moments spent with Bonnefois-san were nerve-wracking moments. You never knew what could happen.

Meanwhile, the odd man just chuckled and picked up the heavy backpack, finding Kiku's shyness just as cute as his formality.

The raven-haired boy slowed down from a scurry to a jog, and then to an amble. He may as well be slow for the heck of it, he thought, picking up a grocery basket. After all, who'd look forward to going home if you had to cook and clean once you returned?

Aisle one was mainly frozen or refrigerated foods. Aisle two was the meat section, the next was chips and other similar junk food, number four was noodles and the like-aha! Chow mein was on his list. Not knowing which flavor Yao's "company" would prefer, he got both teriyaki and original. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Now for the rice. Jasmine, right? Not so bad. At least the bags were small and didn't weigh at least thirty pounds. Kiku winced at the memory. That occasion was a total drag. Literally.

Suddenly a moving object collided with him. Had he been weaker, he would have fallen backwards. That said, he flailed and staggered a bit, dropping the basket. His only chance of regaining balance as soon as possible was to grab onto whatever crashed into him and hope for the best.

Oh. The thing could talk, since Kiku could hear and feel sounds squashed by his clothes. And wait...it probably had to breathe too. Releasing the person and backing away, he was able to get a good look at their face.

Thick eyebrows jumped out immediately. They were just _everywhere, _weren't they? But the person was shorter than Arthur, and had Alfred's sandy hair and oceanic eyes...perhaps this was-ah, what was his name-

"PETER! Get back here, you twat!" No, _of course_ Kiku didn't blush at the familiar, accented voice.

"Hide me!" cried the boy, obviously Peter. He scrambled around Kiku to get behind him, just in time to escape the raging Papa-bear while another, bigger object came in harsh contact with the Japanese boy. He nearly fell since this person was bigger than Peter, but a hand suddenly gripped his arm and pulled him close.

Make that too close. All of Kiku's thoughts were erased one he saw those wonderful green eyes in such proximity. The pain of being crashed into twice didn't even register until Arthur blinked, as if dazedly snapping out of a reverie. Kiku felt the exact same way, finally noticing the other boy's arm around his waist and flushing pink. Arthur seemed to notice this as well and hastily removed his limb, muttering "_Thank God for reflexes_" under his breath.

"Er, I'm really sorry about that. You all right? I just wasn't thinking straight, and I tend to do that a lot when I'm agitated. N-not that I get agitated that easily, but well...ohGodIdon'tevenknowanymore-"

"I'm fine. Y-you don't need to worry," Kiku mumbled, tempted to follow suit and ramble on his own. Kami, this was so embarrassing. He couldn't hide behind a bookshelf here. Well, there were the merchandise shelves, but still. It was odd talking to Arthur face-to-face when the other didn't even know him. And he didn't even know that Kiku knew him.

Arthur smiled a bit out of relief. Kiku chastised himself for noticing how the action made his eyes sparkle even more, and chose to entertain his own eyes by taking interest in the floor.

"I'm glad...but wait!" Kiku's head snapped up so fast he was surprised he hadn't cracked the joints in his neck Was there something he did wrong? Arthur's face was pink for some reason, the boy looking away and tugging at his collar as if that would give him the air he needed to say what he wanted. "W-who said I was worried? I just don't want to pay any hospital bills, you know? Don't get the wrong idea."

_Ara? _Normally people didn't say those kinds of things—_ah. _It was Kiku's turn to smile. Oh, there really was a reason tsunderes were popular. Arthur looked surprised, his cheeks darkening.

"Oh quit complaining, ya jerk." The bold statement was all it took for the Briton's brows to furrow (the feat looked harder than it was) and his mouth to take a steep curve downwards. He sidestepped Kiku and took hold of Peter's ear, either ignoring the child's pained cries or inwardly thinking he deserved it.

"Can't even take my eyes off you for _five bloody seconds—_well, brats will be brats." He glanced at Kiku, the latter shifting uncomfortably at the intense stare. It felt like an X-ray. "Do you think you could watch over him for about a minute or two? I just need to grab something from a couple aisles over." Kiku nodded, and Arthur nodded back. "_Behave._" The last word was obviously directed to Peter, who by now had his ear released and responded with a raspberry. Arthur scoffed and turned around, strolling down the aisle and taking a right.

When Peter deemed him completely out of sight, he stared at Kiku in wonder saying, "Wow, and I thought he'd yell at me a lot more or somethin'. I guess it's 'cause of you."

"Me?" Kiku had picked up his basket, and nearly dropped it again at Peter's words. He tried to suppress the happiness he felt at such a possibility.

"Well, yeah. He's more of a jerk a lot of the time, always scolding me like he's my mother."

Kiku had a feeling. The mantra _tsuntsun_ kept ringing in his head.

"Care to say anything else, Peter?" Arthur snarled. Well, it would have been a snarl had his tone not softened when he caught sight of Kiku again. Said Japanese boy jumped slightly.

Arthur directed his attention to Kiku now, the pink returning to his face. He glanced away. "I feel, erm, rather bad about what happened earlier...howdoIphrasethis...how far do you live from here? No wait! I'm not a stalker! I just meant...could I walk you home? Y-you know, just so I can make up for before. It's for my sake, not yours, okay?" In his frantic tirade, he didn't see the flash of another smile on Kiku's face. It probably would have made him more flustered.

Kiku didn't mind, of course. No, once he took in Arthur's flushed face with his eyes shyly darting in different directions again combining with his tsundere-ish words, Kiku found he didn't mind at all.

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><p><strong>Late update, I know. I've just been extremely immersed in Shizaya lately. EXTREMELY. (with the many references here, you can probably tell.) I still ship AsaKiku with all my heart, but nowadays I do more reading than writing. So sorry to all you lovely people out there reading this and actually liking it. But hey! The two awkward lovebirds met in this chapter! I do look forward to writing their fluffy walk together, and I hope you look forward to reading it.<br>(Also, I know it must be weird for me to have Hong Kong's character song here when this is an AU. That shall be explained later on, but it won't be a major thing.)**


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